Highlights From Bacardi NH7 Weekender Delhi

You forgot about the dust filling your lungs with every breath after one look at the rows of billowing neon fabric streaming across the length and breadth of the Bacardi NH7 Delhi Weekender festival ground. The audience had Sumant Jayakrishnan to thank for all the happy color including a light installation surrounded by cycles, that lit up when enthusiastic audience members decided to step on the pedal.

The fest began with a jovial afternoon set from Alien Chutney, whose sardonic humor from tracks like “BO Is My Deo” kept even the kids in the audience in splits and disbanded pop rock band Zero powered up the heavy metal stage performing their once-a-year gig for loyalists. As dawn closed in, hypemen Zoravar “The Herbalist” Shukla and Raghav “Diggy” Dang kept the party on for two whole days, through dub and hiphop sets. Never a dull moment at the Pepsi Dub Station.

As bands like Ankur & The Ghalat Family performed on the Bindass Fully Fantastic stage set up in homage to the grand ol’ daddy of rock music Amit Saigal, the Breezer Ballroom smack bang in the middle of it all, had Indiecision editor Arjun S Ravi aka DJ Paperslut curate a bunch of old disco tunes during the day and then hand the console over to Delhi producer Nucleya, who made it his after-hour party playground.

Yes, there were more than a few technical glitches, a few schedule bumps with performances running late and being cut short, but in all, the “happiest music festival” lived up to its name. Foodies took part in a faux Masterchef Cook Off as artists paired with a “fan”, to see who could make the best Maggi. You heard right, Maggi. Tons of happy people exited, dusty, happy, hoarse and reverberating with good vibes.

Here are some highlights from the festival.

Photos: Prarthana Singh

1) Most Likely To Win Over The Indian Council For Cultural Relations: Papon and the East India company

Papon aka Angaraag Mahanta has made Assamese folk and classical music hip as Bollywood. Judging by the scores that dashed across to his stage the minute he started playing his track “Jiyein Kyun” that made it to the soundtrack of Dum Maaro Dum, the easiest way to an Indian audience’s heart is through celluloid. But the lively Assamese boat song, “Boitha Maro” was equally well received reaffirming that folk has powerful crossover appeal.